North Plans To Wait On Senate Run

July 04, 1993|By Fort Worth Star Telegram

KELLER, TEXAS — Oliver North visited a sample of smalltown America on Saturday and was greeted by people who called him a ``living American hero.''

The former Reagan White House aide spoke in the North Central Texas community of Keller, north of Fort Worth, as part of an Independence Day celebration at the Keller High School Stadium. Dressed in a gray suit and smiling the gap-toothed grin that made him famous during the Iran-contra hearings, he was greeted by several thousand supporters.

North, who was at the center of the Iran-contra scandal, has said he is thinking about running for U.S. Senate from Virginia. But on Saturday, he said he will wait until the state's gubernatorial election is decided in November ``because it wouldn't be right to take money from that (GOP) camp.''

Dozens of people lined up before North spoke so he could sign copies of his bestseller, ``Under Fire: An American Story.''

``He's a living American hero,'' said Pam Taylor of Grapevine, as she clutched three copies of the book and a sign that read ``Keep our military straight.''

Like several others at the event, Taylor defended North's testimony before Congress during the Iran-contra affair.

North's appearance was sponsored by Harvest Baptist Church in Watauga. Church members donated $25,000 to finance the event, its advertisements and North's traveling expenses and $7,500 speaker's fee.